“Brinley.”
“Jaxon.” She sighs before slamming the door in my face.
She doesn’t need to say anything else because I get it. Jaxon will always be her weak spot. She used to think I didn’t see it, the way her world revolved around him, but I’ve always seen it. And I’ve been there to witness the devastation each time she realized he didn’t feel the same.
“I’ll be downstairs when you're done,” I say through the closed door, unsure if she can hear me.
I walk downstairs and see Brooks, Jeremy, and Fletcher cleaning up the disaster we call our house.
“Look who’s up.” Brooks is the first to see me. “Have a nice rest, Sleeping Beauty?”
I’m honestly surprised Brooks is even here and not at Liv’s because he stays there more than he stays here.
“There are two other guys who aren’t down here helping you three clean up,” I argue, pushing past them and heading to the pantry. “So, I won’t take any of your shit.”
“The other two guys have guests.” Jeremy winks. “So, they have an excuse. It would be disrespectful.”
I shake my head, taking a handful of Cheerios out of the box and throwing them in my mouth.
“I have a guest, too,” I respond.
“Brinley doesn’t count as a guest,” Fletcher argues, wiping down the counter. “She practically lives here.”
Before I can respond, a shoe falls down the stairs, drawing our attention. A girl chases the shoe down the steps, a pile of clothing in her hands and aRockford Hockeyshirt swallowing her body.
She’s small, barely 5 feet, and her golden-brown hair is tangled around her shoulders, some of it stuck in the neck of her t-shirt. It only takes me a couple seconds to remember her from last night. Or at least I think I remember her; it’s hard to tell without Zeke’s mouth glued to hers.
She gives us a small smile, taking a moment to slide on her shoes, which scream a walk of shame when paired with her outfit. Then she leaves without saying a word. And we can’t help but stare at the door as it closes behind her… that was unusual.
Usually, Zeke’s girls like to stick around and show off that they were here. They only leave when they know more people are up to catch them leaving our place. She didn’t care that we saw her, and she didn’t care that she slept with a hockey player. She got what she wanted and left. No gloating necessary.
“Morning, boys.” Zeke practically jumps down the stairs and goes straight to the fridge.
“Have fun last night?” I wonder.
“I did.” He grabs the orange juice and drinks it straight from the carton. “What are you guys looking at?”
“The girl who just left our house,” Fletcher responds.
“Oh shit, she left already.” He looks toward the door like it will tell him if she actually left.
“She did. She didn’t even stop to grab some food,” Brooks responds.
“Guess you’re not as good in the sack as you think,” Jeremy teases, and Zeke’s eyebrow flies up.
“Pretty sure the sounds she made last night would say otherwise.” He throws the OJ back in the fridge and leans against it. “I was hoping she’d want to get in a quickie before we hit the weight room.”
“I never thought I’d see the day that Zeke Harris would go after a freshman,” Jaxon says, causing us all to turn to him. “What, did you run out of juniors and seniors?”
“She’s not a freshman,” Zeke argues.
“Yeah, she is.” Jaxon laughs. “Smart as hell, though. She’s in my organic chemistry class, the only freshman, and the only one acing it.”
“How do you know she’s a freshman?” Zeke adds.
“Our professor made us all introduce ourselves the first day of class and share a fun fact,” he says. “She’s a freshman and getting a dual degree, and I think she graduates next year.”
“She’s a freshman,” I say, not understanding how she’s graduating with a dual degree in two years.
